Tuscany’s glitzy Forte dei Marmi “is an Italian model of the Hamptons,” as Barbara Reimelt, founding father of the inside design studio Ninety 9 Group, places it. However it’s greater than a glamorous resort city, she insists. “The great thing about it’s that it sits on the ocean, however for those who flip round you see the mountains that Michelangelo mined for his stones.”
It was towards this heady backdrop that Reimelt renovated a significant trip residence for a jet-setting household. (The household found Reimelt by way of her work at Ralph Lauren, and are already engaged on a second undertaking together with her—additionally in Italy.) Initially, the abode belonged to the husband’s late mom, Giuliana, who had it constructed together with her personal cash in 1963, an uncommon transfer for the period. The matriarch’s imprint was palpable in each area, and Reimelt was eager to carry “Giuliana’s power, pleasure, vivaciousness, and generosity into this evolution too,” as she places it. “We needed to really feel her on this home.”
For Reimelt, the most important problem was the format. The hacked-up rooms have been impractical, unwelcoming, and begged for a extra harmonious movement. “It is a home by the seaside, however it’s not an informal seaside home. It’s on this most attractive setting…however it wanted to be extra formal by way of design,” Reimelt factors out.
She responded to this problem by opening up the dwelling and eating areas and the beforehand tiny kitchen to attach them. Gathering across the desk for bountiful meals is a beloved household ritual, so Reimelt took particular care within the eating room, tapping Florence-based artist Monica Branchetti to envelop the partitions in a magical panorama mural peppered with South African references—a nod to Giuliana’s roots—like a springbok and peacock.
The New York–primarily based designer finds the nation to be a rewarding place to work. “It’s a rustic that has such richness in artisans, so you will discover individuals who do issues that prove precisely the best way they’re meant to be,” says Reimelt. There’s an abundance of hanging marble within the area (Giuliana was serendipitously associated to one of many producers Reimelt turned to), which led Reimelt to cowl the complete floor degree flooring with a chic diamond sample rendered in velvety completed Verde Alpi and Crema Delicato marbles. Pink-veined grey marble additionally stands out within the kitchen, whereas the bogs showcase poured terrazzo flooring in customized colours that complement the stone in every area.
